National History Day

Thirty-Two 7th and 8th grade students from Chadron Middle School submitted National History Day projects to the District National History Day competition, which was held at Chadron State College on February 24, 2012.  Over the past several weeks these students have made improvements to the projects that they turned in for their 7th and 8th grade social studies classes in preparation for the larger and very competitive district competition .  Good luck to all of the students that have put so much time and effort into their projects!  I will post an update later this weekend with pictures and results.

UPDATE:
Congratulations to our State National History Day qualifiers: Joe Ritzen, Gretta Welch, Alison Gardner, Jadyn McCartney, Danielle Johnson, Jayden Garrett, Allie Johnson, Tate Cullers, Mikki Hastings, Joshn Hyer, Jarrod Briggs, Kevin Catches, Gabe Ramos, and Shoilee Rahman.  Good Luck at State!

Below are some pictures of the State qualifying projects that our students from CMS submitted as well as the links to the websites that some of the students created.
53018313.nhd.weebly.com, 62864641.nhd.weebly.com, 76728317.nhd.weebly.com, 48606642.nhd.weebly.com

February 23rd Parent Meeting Agenda

PSO Meeting Agenda

2/23/12

High Fives:

• Thank you to everyone that helped with the 5^th grade Christmas Party and Caring for Sharing Canned Food Drive in December!
• To all of the students that competed in the Spelling Bee – Shoilee Rahman took first place in both rounds, Seth Sloan took second in both rounds, and Walt Mays took
• To all of the students that competed in the Nat. Geo. Geography Bee – Greg McCallum took first place
• To the 32 students that are going to enter their National History Projects into the district competition.
• 3^rd Qtr. ends on March 7^th….WOW!

Bond Info

• Dr. Winchester will do a Q & A on the Bond to begin the meeting

Support Needs:

• Art Guild is after school on Tuesdays (5^th) and Thursdays (6-8) (email Lorna Eliason)
• After School tutoring and activities M-Th 3:15-6:00pm (email Lorna Eliason)
• March 28^th Scholastic Competition – see one of the Scholastic Team coaches.

Summary of Activities:

• District HAL Committee continues to meet on revising the District HAL Plan. We met on Jan. 4^th, Jan. 20^th, and Feb. 17^th.  We are nearing the end of the first draft.
• 7^th and 8^th grade Scholastic Teams are set and have begun practicing
• Aims Web Winter Benchmark testing Reading (Finished)
• Aims Web Winter Benchmark testing Math (Finished)
• NeSA Writing test – 100% of 8^th graders submitted their essays!
• Remind 101 – Text Messaging Software
• Send text message to (925) 304-6118 with the message @cmsprinc and you will get text messages from Mr. Dressel regarding school information.
• Good turnout for PTCs – about 74%
• Feb. 20^th in-service on blogging and digital organization….good stuff!

Upcoming Events:

• March 2^nd – 1:30 dismissal
• March 7^th – End of 3^rd quarter
• March 8^th and 9^th – Spring Break – No School
• March 16^th – 1:30 dismissal
• March 26^th – NeSA Testing Window Opens
• March 28^th – CMS Scholastic Day
• March 28^th – Teacher In-Service – No School
• April 3^rd – NWEA Testing Window Opens

"Pure Performance" Program in Chadron on March 21st

John Underwood, a professional consultant who helps athletes reach their potential, will bring his message to Chadron on Wednesday, March 21.

Underwood, who speaks from his successful experiences as a competitive distance runner on the international stage, will deliver a program titled “Pure Performance”.  His presentation, which is designed to help the audience become better athletes and to improve their health, is set for 7-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21 at the Chadron High School auditorium.  In addition to the evening presentation for the public, Underwood will also present to Chadron Middle School students at 1:30 in the Chadron High School auditorium.  

For more information about John Underwood and the American Athletic Institute visit his website at:  http://www.americanathleticinstitute.org/index.html

"Leading with Lollipops"

This is an awesome, 6-minute TED talk from Drew Dudley, a leadership and motivation expert, about changing the way that we think about leadership.  Everyone can have a positive impact on another person's life and we just need to learn to recognize those "Lollipop" moments and be thankful for them.

CPS Technology In-Service

Teacher Technology In-Service

As students enjoyed a snowy President's Day off from school, CPS faculty were treated to a technology in-service that focused on blogging and digital organization.  The first morning session included detailed instruction from CPS Tech staff on how to set up a blog page, how to create posts, and suggested ways use blogs as an extension of the classroom.  The second morning session highlighted how to organize digital files with an emphasis on using the "cloud" for file storage and backup.

After lunch, teachers were given time to experiment with the blogs that they created and were challenged to create two blog posts by the end of the day.  The President's Day in-service was a follow up to the CPS Tech Conference that was hosted by CPS earlier this fall and is in line with the district's goal to continue to embrace new technology to educate every student to the best of their ability to allow them to compete in a global society.
 

Digital Reputation

Teens today will leave a large digital footprint by the time that they graduate from high school.

There are many positive things that are associated with social media.  It connects people in a way that we have never been connected before.  Online communities that allow individuals the opportunity to express their opinions, share their gifts and talents, and stay connected with family and friends are just a few ways that social media is used in a positive way.

However, many teens don't fully understand the consequences that can occur when they don't use social media in a positive way.  When students post pictures of themselves in compromising situations, cyber-bully or make threats, and "like" things that are not positive representations of their character they can end up in some serious trouble.  The internet has a long memory, and a simple Google search of someone's name can bring up things from one's past that could provide a college, university, or potential employer with a poor first impression that could potentially cost them admission into the school of their choice or a job.

It is for this reason that students need to learn how to manage their digital reputation.  Teens must realize that the Internet is public domain and that they are held accountable for everything that they put on the Internet.  Many teens have a hard time grasping the long-term consequences of their actions, which is why it is important for parents to talk to their kids about their digital reputation and monitor their children's Internet activity.

This video was made for parents and it highlights the need for parents to help their children understand the negative consequences that can occur when students don't monitor their digital reputation.  I hope that parents find this video helpful and that it will serve as a springboard to start having conversations about keeping positive digital reputation.

February is National 4-H Month

4-H Registration is on 2/13/12 from 5-7pm at the Extension Office @ 250 Main Street.

February Good News from School

February 6, 2012

Good News From CMS

Dear Parents/Guardians:

End of the 3^rd Mid-Quarter

This week marks the end of the 3^rd mid-quarter and it has been an active mid-quarter indeed.  Some of the student activities that took place include the first round of the National Geographic Geography Bee, the first round of the Scripps Spelling Bee, the 8^th grade NeSA Writing test, and the 7^th and 8^th Boys’ Basketball seasons conclude this week with games against Scottsbluff on Monday, Gering on Tuesday and Alliance on Thursday.  I also want to send my congratulations to our 7^th and 8^th grade students that finished and presented their National History Day Projects.  There were some excellent projects this year!  

Get Texts from the Principal

Remind 101 is free online software that allows me to send school related information to parents via text message.  I will send out reminders about upcoming events, changes in school schedules, and emergency information like school closures and etc.  If you are interested in receiving text messages from the principal, please text @cmsprinc to (925) 304-6118.

It’s Bee Season

It's BEE season at Chadron Middle School!  The National Geographic Geography Bee was held on Thursday, January 12th in the CMS library.  Congratulations to Greg McCallum on his second championship in a row.  The school-level round of the Scripps Spelling Bee was held Thursday, February 2^nd. Congratulations to Shoilee Rahman, Seth Sloan, and Walt Mays for placing 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd respectively.  These three students will compete at the Dawes County Spelling Bee on Thursday, February 16^th at 3:30 in the Chadron Middle School Library.

I would like to thank Mrs. Kaus and Mrs. Merkel for organizing the competitions and also thank all of the students that competed in these academic extracurricular events.

Bond Information

Chadron Middle School will offer tours of the middle school’s facilities during Parent-Teacher Conferences on February 7^th and February 9^th.  All four school buildings will host an open house and tours on Sunday, February 19^th from 12:00-4:00.  For specific information related to the Bond, please visit www.chadronschools.org and click on the power point presentation that is on the front page.

Up Coming Events/Activities:

February 7^th – 1:30 Dismissal and Parent Teacher Conferences in the MS Gym from 2-6pm

February 9^th – 5:00-8:30 – Parent Teacher Conferences in the MS Gym

February 10^th – No School

February 17^th - 1:30 Dismissal and 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade Dance – 6:30-8:30pm in the Middle School Gym
February 19th - Open House/Tours of all Four Buildings - 12:00-4:00pm

February 20^th – No School (Teacher In-Service)

February 23^rd – Parent Support Group meeting – 5:30pm in Mrs. Smith’s Computer Lab

March 2^nd – 1:30 Dismissal

March 7^th – End of the 3^rd Quarter

March 8th and 9^th – No School – Spring Break